Year: 2007

To some, it may come as quite a surprise that I am quite enamored of the honeybee, or as it is sometimes called, Apis mellifera. Imagine my surprise as I was reading the June 2007 issue of Wired to find an article on the widespread demise of the honeybee! We’re talking some serious stuff here, that could have a pretty bad impact on anyone who eats, specifically anyone whose diet consists of fruits or vegetables. Apparently there is a well-respected entomologist named Jerry Bromenshenk from the University of Montana who has dubbed this potential catastrophe “colony collapse disorder.” Unfortunately, the cause of colony collapse disorder is proving a little tricky to discover. The current theory has to do with new chemicals being used as agricultural pesticides that could be having a long-term effect on bees that is yet to be discovered. It is documented that these pesticides cause disorientation in insects, and over time, it is possible that there could be an effect on the bees’ navigational abilities. It’s possible that the bees leave the hive to forage for pollen and simply can’t find their way back.

I’m worried about my little friend the honeybee! (I have been known to pat honeybees as they forage). And before you make fun of me, this situation is important enough to show up not only in Wired, but in the New York Times and CNN.

While it’s true that I celebrated another birthday yesterday, the title of this entry is not referring to me, but to the lovely birthday gift given to me by my sweet husband. I’ve been complaining for a while about the fact that my laptop is so big and heavy. Sure, I picked it out a few years ago, thinking I needed the big screen for any online movie viewing I did, but it turns out that’s just not the case. With all the traveling I do for work it has become ever-so-apparent, that more important than the size of the screen is how heavy it is.

Therefore, let me introduce you to the Sony Vaio VGN-SZ430NB! Those of you who are interested are welcome to check out its specs at the Sony site. Let me just say that it’s adorable. Compact, lightweight, with the new Windows Vista OS that does some pretty things (although my technical advisor is still working out all the differences between Vista and XP.) It’s also got a built in camera and microphone, which is pretty cool.

Other than that, my birthday was very nice. Nothing too exciting (I had to work), but it started off beautifully weather-wise, before morphing into a dark, stormy, thunderous downpour. The gang at work had a cake, and then our pals Gianna and Sarah joined me and Scot for dinner at the Centre Street Cafe. After dinner we stopped by Gianna and Sarah’s place to see the first episode of Gianna’s latest obsession, Bad Girls. My-oh-my, it’s a soapy drama about a women’s prison. Could be lots of fun.

So now it’s the day after my birthday, but the fun continues this weekend when I get to celebrate with more of my friends. And if you’re wondering? I’m not typing this on the new laptop. It’s still being set up. But soon…